Livingston Manor is a town that gets a thrill out of watching their sports teams; in particular, the football team. Over the past few years, Roscoe and Livingston Manor have had to combine players in order to field a team. Football is an essential community bonding experience, but due to the lack of a consistent team, the sport hasn’t seen a full season of competition each year that it is available.

Obstacles over the past few years have placed the Manor/Roscoe football team in jeopardy of being canceled. Having to maintain academic eligibility, practice schedules, injuries and the desire not to travel long distances for games, have led to low participation.

The coaches are aware of these issues and are trying to address them. Head coach Mr. Michael Hill wants to focus on building better rapport with players to make sure they stay healthy.

“My goal is to get to know the students better and tell them the benefits of being on a team,” Hill said. A goal of assistant coach, Mr. Stephen Rogers, is to help the team build with each other, and to learn to face adversity. “Getting in shape and bonding are important to the overall health of a team,” added Rogers. The determination to keep a team going has paid off for the 2024-25 football season.

The season began with perennial problems. To begin with, the team had few players, and several had concussions over the season, causing a setback in games. Additionally, players found it difficult to keep up with school work and practice schedules. These combined issues challenged them, but they never gave up.

Once the modified season was completed, several players moved up to varsity, making it so there were enough players for the team to move forward with games.

The team played two games in October. While their record is 0-2, the players and coaches are grateful for the opportunity to participate in real games and learn from live action.

Anyone interested in joining the football team for the 2025-26 season should contact Mr. Hubert, athletic director, or Mr. Hill, head football coach.